Since November 14th, more than fifty attacks have been reported against merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and northwest Indian Ocean. Among these, one can note the hijacking of a vessel on November 19th, 20 attacks resulting in limited damage, an attack conducted on February 18th that caused the ship to sink after several days adrift, and finally, an attack that killed three crew members and injured four others on March 6th.
Last week, the Houthis attacked a Chinese oil tanker, despite promising to ensure their safe passage through the Suez Canal. A rather strange attack. Just two months ago, the Houthis of Yemen had clearly indicated, through the voice of Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, one of the members of its political leadership, that they guaranteed “a safe passage” for Chinese and Russian vessels transiting the Suez Canal.
The HUANG PU tanker (Panamanian flag) was attacked at 23 Nautical miles west of Mokha (Yemen) by Houthi rebels. Five missiles were fired, and one of them hit the ship, causing minor damage. An onboard fire was quickly extinguished. No casualties were reported, and the vessel was able to resume its journey.
According to the maritime security company Ambrey, “registration data, including the name and operator” of the tanker, were modified last February. The vessel had been registered in 2019 under the name Union Maritime Ltd, a British company, Ambrey claimed, specifying that a vessel affiliated with this company had previously been attacked by Yemeni rebels.
This attack on a Chinese vessel is therefore surprising. The hypothesis of an error cannot be ruled out, especially considering Iran’s proximity to China.
An influential chinese diplomatic figure has responded to the surge in attacks in the Red Sea by advocating for China’s demand to halt the “harassment” of civilian ships in the region.
On the surface, China’s position remains firm regarding attacks by the Houthi rebels, regardless of the nationality of the targeted vessels. In an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia, a member of the political leadership of the Houthis, Mohammed al-Bukhait, however, assured that ships from China and Russia were not threatened.
